“Bullshit, we haven’t even left the Great Wall yet—how could we be at Yudu Jinshan?” Brian Cooper was full of disdain.

Adam Carter also wanted to whip him. “If this is Yudu Jinshan, then why don’t we just go pay a visit to the Shibi Khagan at the Turkic royal tent tonight?”

Everyone burst out laughing. The Turks had two major royal tents, both places where the Khagans resided, equivalent to the emperor living in today’s Eastern Capital Luoyang or Western Capital Chang’an.

At this time, the royal tent of the Western Turks was in Kucha, along the Northern River, while the Eastern Turkic Khagan’s tent was near Yudu Jinshan.

Although everyone had galloped over two hundred li, they still hadn’t reached the Yellow River, nor had they seen the Great Wall beyond the frontier. Clearly, they were still far from Yudu Jinshan.

The stretch of the Great Wall here ran from Yulin to Zihe. At this moment, they were traveling west in parallel, so it was impossible for them to have reached the distant Yudu Jinshan outside the Wall.

Frank Reed was joking, and so was Adam Carter.

Frank Reed scratched his head and just laughed. “Young chief, asking us is like climbing a tree to catch a fish. If it were the Central Plains, maybe we’d know a thing or two, but in recent years, this is already the farthest west we’ve ever gone.”

“It’s getting late.” Brian Cooper looked up at the sky. “Adam, I’m afraid we won’t make it back tonight.”

“Then let’s go a bit further.” Adam Carter didn’t want to give up. If they turned back now, it would clearly be giving up halfway. He had already searched a hundred li in every direction and still hadn’t found what he considered an ideal pasture.

Adam Carter pressed on stubbornly, and everyone shook their heads, knowing this young chief was easygoing but stubborn as an ox. Once he set his mind on something, it was hard for anyone to change it.

The horses’ hooves thundered again, startling many pheasants and wild rabbits. Adam Carter reached for his bow, and with a twang, a leaping pheasant was pierced through the neck and fell to the ground.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood Adam Carter’s intention. He was hunting now to prepare dinner, planning to spend the night nearby.

Before Frank Reed could flatter Adam Carter, the others’ arrows were already whistling through the air.

In no time, several of them had shot three or four rabbits and seven or eight pheasants.

Besides Frank Reed and Brian Cooper, Adam Carter had brought along four other brothers from the stronghold, all young men with decent archery skills.

One, with big eyes and thick brows, was called Charles Walker. He was muscular, especially his chest, and was often teased by Brian Cooper as being “full of mother’s milk.” Another was as thin as an arrow, with a head as big and pointed as an arrowhead, so everyone simply called him Arrow. To this day, Adam Carter still didn’t know his real name.

The other two looked ordinary, the kind you’d lose in a crowd. One was called Samuel Harris, who always seemed gloomy and frustrated, but had excellent hearing—an essential skill for outings. Last time they went robbing, he was the first to hear the fat sheep’s whereabouts. The other was Rusty, who looked malnourished, his complexion as rusty as his name.

Flowers have their own shades of red, and people are all different. The seven of them looked quite distinct, but without exception, all were skilled archers. Though none could match Adam Carter’s uncanny accuracy—he seemed able to hit prey with his eyes closed—shooting rabbits and pheasants was no problem for any of them.

They dismounted, picked up their game, hung it on the saddles, and continued on.

When the sun was blocked by the mountain peaks, they arrived at the foot of the mountain. Staring up at the towering heights, everyone looked at each other, wondering if they really had to climb over the mountains to see if there was a suitable pasture on the other side.

But Adam Carter’s eyes were sharp as lightning, searching intently, and he spotted a narrow sheep trail leading into the mountains. He spurred his horse and headed in.

The terrain began to change, shifting from rolling green waves to dark mountains and brown rocks. The winding path led deeper and deeper, seemingly endless.

Though they traveled far, the land didn’t rise much, which gave Adam Carter some confidence.

Along the way, the cliffs were steep and jagged like sword blades, as if carved by spirits. They slowly entered a long gorge, so narrow that only one person and one horse could pass at a time.

It was nothing for the others, but Frank Reed couldn’t help but mutter, “Brian Cooper, where does this road even go?”

Brian Cooper was uneasy too. “Who the hell knows.”

No sooner had Brian Cooper mentioned ghosts than a chilly wind suddenly swept through the gorge, carrying faint wails. The sky was growing dark, and the valley was already shrouded in early gloom, looking rather desolate.

Adam Carter suddenly reined in his horse, and everyone tensed up, asking in low voices, “Young chief, what is it?”

A look of delight appeared on Adam Carter’s face. “Listen.”

“Listen to what?” everyone asked.

Adam Carter sighed. “Honestly, you all should use your ears more and your mouths less. God gave us two ears and one mouth so we’d listen more and talk less.”

“Who’s God, so impressive? I only know my ears and mouth were given by my parents.” Frank Reed never missed a chance to ask questions.

Adam Carter couldn’t help but laugh. “Then God is your father.”

“I see.” Frank Reed suddenly understood.

Samuel Harris remained unmoved in his gloom, but Arrow’s eyes lit up. “I hear water.”

Everyone perked up. A good pasture couldn’t do without a water source. The sound of water didn’t guarantee a pasture, but at least it gave them hope. Though it was getting late, they still followed Adam Carter onward.

The long gorge finally ended, and the sound of water grew louder.

When they emerged from the canyon, they heard a thunderous roar like waves crashing against the shore. Looking ahead, they all froze in place, but their eyes shone with admiration.

Even Frank Reed’s mouth hung wide open, unable to close.